Why COVID-19 kills more men than women decoded

Updated: Feb 3 2023 4:20PM

New Delhi, Feb 3 (PTI) Scientists have found new evidence that may explain why men are more susceptible to severe infections of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, with increased death rates.

The research, published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, indicates males fare worse than females with the COVID-19 disease because the virus more readily attacks females' fat tissue, in lieu of lung tissue.

"Our data suggested that in female mice adipose tissue may act as a sink/reservoir for SARS-CoV-2 and thus spares the lungs from a greater viral load, preventing pulmonary damage due to infiltrated immune cells and activated pro-inflammatory cytokines," said Jyothi Nagajyothi, from the Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI), US.

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